There was collective concern about the Seahawks in NFL circles before the season began. Even the most steely fan was worried that the choice to pivot from a known quantity in Geno Smith, to risking a ton of money on Sam Darnold, who only had one good season on his resume. Then after trading away D.K. Metcalf it was feeling more like the ‘Hawks were planning to rebuild, rather than compete for a Super Bowl — but how wrong we were. Not only have the Seahawks been one of the best teams in football this season, but they’re the favorites to win it all.
If we dig into this Seahawks team there are five things that really make them tick.
No. 1: Sam Darnold’s ability to throw deep
Geno Smith put up good numbers with the Seahawks in 2024, which is why the QB switch was so shocking — but inside of the decision was a reality that Smith was getting older. His arm didn’t have the same liveliness it once did, and the passing offense had to settle for chain making over making vertical plays.
What Darnold did really well with the Vikings in 2024 was push passes downfield. His 8.4 intended air yards was one of the highest marks in the league last year, and that continued with Seattle this season. The passing offense is throwing deeper an average of one yard per attempt from 2024 to 2025, which might not seem like a lot — but has had a profound effect on the offense.
These deeper throws have meant that every Seahawks’ drive has gone two yards longer, which has led to more field goals than punts. This has lifted averaging drive scoring from 1.89 points to 2.32. When this compounds it has lifted the Seahawks from the 18th ranked scoring offense in the NFL, to the 3rd.
No. 2: Jaxon Smith-Njigba has been unleashed
It’s not like JSN was bad with Geno Smith under center, because he was still a 1,000 yard receiver — but by making the switch to Darnold and removing Metcalf from the picture he’s become a three level monster.
The past Seahawks offense became predictable, because when the team needed a chain moving catch, the ball would go to JSN, but if they were attempting to generate an explosive deep play there was an over reliance on throwing to Metcalf. By taking these two elements and combining them into one receiver it’s been more difficult to key on the Seahawks’ playcalling.
Smith-Njigba has seen his yards per reception jump from 11.3 to 15.1 This has resulted in 22 more first down catches, and four more touchdowns. In addition it was a switch in resource allocation, because the team was ostensibly able to switch from paying a receiver in Metcalf, to using that money on Darnold — whose impact we’ve already looked at.
No. 3: The pass rush is more varied
The Seahawks mastered the ability to generate pressure through scheme in 2025. While the team only generate three more sacks this year, it’s coming from a lot more placed. The prior year we saw over a half of Seattle’s 44 team sacks come from Leonard Williams, Derrick Hall, and Boye Mafe. In contrast this year’s team has spread the sack totals across four key players, with another six players having 2+ sacks.
What this means is that Seattle has disguised a lot of pressure this year. On any given down it’s difficult for an offensive line to key in on where the pressure is coming from. Inside or outside, linebackers or defensive backs — masking the intentions of the defense is what makes everything tick for the Seahawks.
No. 4: The defense is so much better in every single way
The most stunning part of what the Seahawks have done defensively this season is how similar the unit is to a year ago. Sure, they signed DeMarcus Lawrence who was a significant signing — but it doesn’t explain away how the team managed to lift its play against a more difficult 2025 schedule.
- Yard allowed: 6th (up from 14th)
- Points allowed: 1st (up from 11th)
- Passing TDs allowed: 7th (up from 17th)
- Rushing yards allowed: 3rd (up from 16th)
This is the Mike Macdonald effect. In totality we’ve seen this unit improve in every way, and when that’s been paired with more effectiveness from the QB position it’s made the Seahawks the best team in the NFL.
No. 5: The genius at head coach
Mike Macdonald took Pete Carroll’s legacy and put a stamp on this team to truly make it his on. There’s new life in every player on the roster, and Macdonald is now showing the trappings of being one of the league’s best young coaches.
It’s clear the Ravens are kicking themselves for letting him go. Their loss is Seattle’s gain, and Macdonald is worthy of being in strong contention of coach of the year in 2025. He took a middling team and transformed them into monsters in one year.
